Since I've been loving you
by ParanoiaPoliticianDiva77
Summary: Christine has lived with her relatives in Aus after her fathers death and soon two men enter her life and she unable to move the alluring caring Frenchman Raoul? or the brooding dark yet beautiful Brit Erik? Not as frivolous as it sounds Modern POTO phic
1. Chapter One

"Slut? Have you seen my phone?" Christine whined and Meg sighed; she was always losing it in the mess of her room.

"Have you tried calling it?" Meg called out from her room and Christine grumbled in frustration and walked into Meg's bedroom.

"Give me your phone so I can call it" she ordered Meg and she rolled her eyes as she handed over her gold flip phone. Christine instantly began flipping through the contact list, trying to find her name.

Meg looked at her and raised one eyebrow; she wasn't even dressed yet and they had to be at school for first period in ten minutes. She was still in her mint green empire lined nightgown, only long enough to come halfway down her thin thighs. Her curly brown hair was still out and messy, frizzed from sleep and her makeup was smudged all over her face; she never cleaned it off before bed.

"Chris we're leaving in ten minutes; you're not even dressed yet" she said in frustration and Christine rolled her eyes, attempting to call her mobile to hear the ringtone and see where it was.

"Whatever Meg, I just realised; I left my phone on silent vibrate. Now I'll never-oh!" she said suddenly and looked in her nightgown pocket; there was her buzzing silver flip phone.

"It was in you're pocket" Meg said sceptically and Christine giggled, reading her new messages from certain boys.

"Yeh…" she said disjointedly, not actually listening to Meg. Meg kicked her backside and began to shout.

"Chris you whore if you're not ready soon I'm not giving you a lift" she threatened and Christine laughed.

"Just wait til I pass my drivers test," she said, poking her tongue out at her cousin and Meg reciprocated well.

"What? This next time will be your fourth go; if I were the government I wouldn't allow you on the roads either you nut" she called out as Christine walked across the hallway to her room.

"Bite me Meg," she said, slamming the door behind her.

It had always been like this; them calling each other bitches, whores, sluts, having screaming fights with each other, stealing one another's clothes and never returning them. They were cousins but were like the closest of sisters, loving and hating each other at the same time. Best friends and the worst of enemies all wrapped in one; Rivals and sisters together and separate.

Christine's mother had been sister to Meg's mother but she had died in childbirth with Christine's little sister when she was only five years old. Her father was a Swedish man, Gustave Daae, and he had been an amazing musician; no one ever had played the violin like him. But when Christine was ten years old some awful news came to her; her dearest papa had been killed in a car crash, a drunk driver ran his car off the road, taking daddy Daaé's car with him.

She had lived in Sydney with Aunt Annie and her cousin Meg ever since, going to school and ballet with Meg. Aunt Annie was once the principle female dancer of the Australian ballet and now ran her own prestigious dance and performing arts school which both of the girls attended.

"Christine you bitch I'm leaving!" shouted Meg, jangling her car keys as she headed for the front door and Christine burst out of her room, brushing her hair and clutching a bag of makeup with her school books and folder.

"I'm ready she gasped, the front of her uniform unbuttoned and her school shoes undone as she ran to Meg and followed her out to the car.

It was a nice car; Meg had saved up for it since she was thirteen and when she finally got her licence the early this year when she turned seventeen. They piled into it and Christine instantly flipped down the passenger seat sunshade, looking in the mirror and doing her eyeliner with expertise.

"Are we picking up Jammes?" she asked and Meg shrugged, picking up her phone and calling Jammes.

"Meg, you can't do that! It's illegal" Christine hissed and Meg shrugged.

"Chris who bloody cares if I call my friend when were in a quiet street" Meg said and began to chat away to her friend Jammes on her phone.

Jammes wasn't her real name; Jamie-Kate was her real name but she hated t, so everyone called her Jammes. She was beautiful and Christine and Meg were both jealous though the three had been best friends since they met at ballet at eleven years old. Jammes was pale skinned and thin, a pretty delicate face with soft long red hair, as red as the vampy red lipstick she wore everyday to match her hair and nails. She was stunning and all the boys drooled over her.

The three of them were part of the more 'popular' group; Jammes being the gorgeous girl all the boys lusted after, Meg was the girl who gossiped and chattered without end and Christine was the quiet pretty one, flirting but shy. They had a few other girls in their group but it was them three who stood out.

After picking up Jammes they finally reached the school, Garniel Grammar School. Meg parked the car in the student's parking lot they heard some of the year twelve boys whistle and call out. Brendan Kozorr jumped of the bench they were all slouching on and ran up to Meg, putting his arm around her shoulders as he pressed his lips against her cheek.

"Hello" she said playfully and he began whispering in her ear and Christine and Jammes sighed as they walked n without Meg; she would be a while with her handsome boyfriend. They had been a couple for nearly four months and were king and queen of public displays of affection.

Jammes and Christine gossiped and chattered as they walked to the year eleven locker area in the English building. The school was very spread out, a different building for each major subject; Maths building, Science and HSIE building, English building, art and technology building, IT building, library, Drama and Music building and the large hall where they held assemblies and sport.

Though they were just on the outskirts of the major Sydney city area they still had bushland connected the school and often a lizard or possum would be found in the locker areas, ensuing screaming girls.

Christine's heart stopped as she entered the locker area; it was him. She grabbed Jammes' arm and pulled her quickly into the girl's bathrooms where many girls crowded around the mirror doing their makeup and hitching their skirts up.

"What is it Chris?" she asked, rubbing her arm where Christine had grabbed her and Christine's wide chocolate brown eyes stared out the door to where Raoul stood with his friends, laughing and joking.

"It's Raoul," she said simply and Jammes laughed.

"Raoul? What type of name is that?" she guffawed and Christine shook her head.

"His parents are French and old fashioned, but his name doesn't matter. Before I came to live in Sydney with Meg he and I were…well…I guess you could say we were childhood sweethearts. My father gave him music lessons and for a whole summer he stayed with us in our holiday home by the sea in Sweden" she said faintly as Jammes peered around the corner to look at him.

He was tall and had scruffy longish dark blonde hair, long enough to cover his ears and sweep across his sparkling blue eyes. He was pretty well built and she could see through the white uniform shirt his rippling muscles. He was tanned and very attractive, a lot of girls eyeing the new guy.

"He's pretty sexy" Jammes said and Christine shook her head, shaking from nerves as she made sure her curled hair was in place.

"Do I look okay? I haven't seen him in so long?" she said in a little nervous voice and Jammes sighed and nodded, dragging her out of the bathroom.

Raoul turned and his blue eyes widened as he caught sight of Christine. He left his friends and jogged quickly across to her and stumbled over his words as he tried to talk to her.

"Ohgochristineyou?" he threw out of his mouth and she was taken aback at what he said.

"What?" she said and he turned red in embarrassment. He was charming and charismatic with most girls but this one always made him stutter and stumble in nerves.

"Is it really you Christine?" he asked slowly, his slight French accent purring through his perfected English and she nodded.

"Raoul de Changy?" she inquired and he nodded.

"The very same" he said and took her hand and kissed it as she turned red; he always made her feel so nervous.

"I'll leave you two to it" Jammes said, the pair hardly hearing her as she walked off to talk to her other friend, Sorelli, a beautiful dark haired beauty with ivory skin.

"It's been a while hasn't it," he said as they began to stroll away from the general mass of their year group.

"Yes, since when have you been in Sydney?" she asked and he shook his head and looked at her; she was so beautiful, he thought longingly to himself.

"End of last year my family decided they needed a break and we've moved here for it. They're probably leaving for France once I've finished my schooling but I'm staying here; it's wonderful here" he said and looked at her oddly "Last I heard you were in Sweden with your father" he asked and she looked away sadly; she hated being reminded of her dear father.

"Dad died the year after I met you, the next summer." She said quietly and his eyes widened and he instinctively put his arms around her, kicking himself for putting his foot in his mouth, again "It was a car crash" she continued "I've lived with my aunt and cousin here ever since" she said sadly and he kissed her cheek.

"I'm sorry," he whispered in her ear and suddenly they heard the teacher, Mr Lefevre, yelling at their year group that it was time for first period. "Dammit" he muttered and they pulled apart awkwardly.

"What's your first class?" she asked and he flipped open his timetable as they picked up their books.

"Legal studies" he groaned "What about yourself?" he asked and she flicked through her school diary until she found her graffitied timetable.

"Advanced Music" she said happily and he sighed.

"Lucky" he said and kissed her on the cheek as he ran off to the HSIE building; legal studies teachers were always bitches if you were late.

Christine walked by herself to the music building, hoping this year she got her favourite music teacher Mr Hawkinson. He had once been a star of Opera Australia, the lead baritone in all the operas for many years. He was nice and now was in his mid thirties, teaching advanced music, running the school orchestras and bands and a prestigious singing teacher out of school hours.

She entered her room and waited with her usual music buddies; in music the normal social cliques didn't exist anymore and they all bonded happily, forming a group of their own. They never would hang out of music time, only chat on msn and myspace a bit but Christine had her own good friends in music that Meg and Jammes hardly knew about.

But there was one girl in their lass that nobody liked and as they all talked and flirted she sat texting her friends on her mobile phone; her name was Carlotta Giudicelli and she was a wealthy Italian girl, mean and controlling. She sang opera and Mr Hawkinson would try everything to avoid her singing for him; in truth she was terrible.

Christine sat chatting to her friend Matt, talking about how their summer holidays were and how annoying it was school had started again when Mr Hawkinson entered the room.

"Okay guys, welcome back, hope your holidays were great blah, blah, blah" he said jokingly as the class giggled "please get out your music manuscript and we're going to do some melodic notation" he ordered and the class shuffled through their books and he flicked on the CD player, a chamber orchestra playing a baroque piece by Handel, the melody on the violin.

Christine forgot to notate the notes as she listened to the piece, recognising it as a piece her father once played for her on his violin, much better than this lifeless recording. Raoul had reminded her of her father and now she couldn't stop thinking about him, or Raoul.

"Yes?" came Mr Hawkinson's curious voice, jolting her back to reality as he flicked off the music. The class turned to see a nervous looking dark haired boy standing in the doorway.

The whole class went silent as they stared at him.

The curious thing was the fact that they couldn't see the right half of his face; a black leather half mask, moulded to his skin, covered it, not even a hole for his right eye. Christine stared at him; curious like the rest of the class to why he wore the mask. He was tall and thin, his scruffy crushed uniform hanging off him like a skeleton, his skin pale and his thick floppy hair a very dark brown. He bit his lip nervously as the class stared at him; everyone always stared at him like that, he could never escape it.

"Uh, well, yes?" Mr Hawkinson stuttered and the boy started to talk nervously, a few giggles escaping the class.

"I'm new and well they gave me a timetable which said I'm supposed to be here" he stuttered; he had a slight British accent, a Londoner perhaps. Mr Hawkinson picked up his roll and scanned down to the D section.

"Erik Destler?" he inquired and Erik nodded.

"Yeah" he said quietly and Mr Hawkinson gestured for him to enter the classroom.

"You can sit here next to Christine," he suggested and Christine shuffled over to accommodate Erik's thin figure. He sat down next to her and she tried not to stare, but wondered why the mask.

"If you don't mind me saying I think it's school policy for items such as hats and masks to be abandoned" Mr Hawkinson said dryly and Erik opened his school diary and passed him a note.

Mr Hawkinson passed his eyes over it, looking curiously from Erik to the note and finally nodded, handing back the note to Erik who swiftly shoved it back inside his school diary.

"Well that seems to be in order" Mr Hawkinson said swiftly and turned to the white board, removing the cap from his whiteboard marker and continuing the lesson as everyone gossiped and talked quietly about their holidays.

As class was let out to second period Christine walked down the stairs next to Erik, having not spoken a word to him all lesson except when he asked if he could borrow her pencil sharpener.

"So which school did you go to before Garniel?" she asked nervously and he looked at her, his left green eye searching her face.

"I went to one in England, what's it to you?" he asked defensively and she shrugged, slightly taken aback by his distrustful tone.

"Nothing, just curious" she said and he gave her a dark look and walked off, scratching the back of his head.

What was he hiding?


	2. Chapter Two

Erik sat flicking the table in Period two; Visual Art, frustrated at his own stupid mistrust.

_She was so beautiful…_

He had kicked himself for being so cold to Christine; she was the only one who had been genuinely nice, that hadn't giggled when he came into the music classroom, that hadn't stared blatantly at his damned mask.

_Why did I fob her off like that?_

He sighed and opened his art book and began to sketch a picture. There were lots of drawings already filling this book though he had only gotten it a week ago. He tuned out from his airy-fairy art teacher, waffling on about something to do with contrast and lighting.

_Why are curls so hard to draw?_

He finally heard the class erupt in talk as the teacher finished talking and instructed them to begin planning what their major work for year eleven would be. He sat sketching over those deep brown eyes, trying to curl the eyelashes perfectly as he wondered what the year would be like.

_Major work? Why did I take art in the first place?_

He looked around as he shaded in the shadow, watching students planning sculptures and paintings, abstract and classical works. He pulled out his black ipod and began to flick through his music until he found it.

_Some of Ganoud's Faust will do for the moment…_

He sighed as he began to listen to Margaritas aria as he outlined the intricately detailed earrings, diamantes in the shape of starbursts. Suddenly he heard a tap on his shoulder and instantly snapped his art book closed.

_Ah crap…_

He turned around and saw his airy-fairy art teacher, Miss Phelps, standing there with her hands on her hips. She pulled the earphone out of his ear and began to tell him off until she heard the music that was coming out of the earphone; opera?

"You're listening to opera?" she said incredulously and he blushed; why did people think it was so weird? "I'll be taking this; you can have it back at the end of the lesson" she said, removing the ipod from his hands and going back to her desk.

He watched her as she flicked through his songs and playlists, throwing a sceptical look at him every so often. Her right finely plucked eyebrow rose and he sighed.

_She's found my stash of musicals hasn't she?_

He shrugged and went back to his drawing, determined to get it right. He smoothed the round curves and angles of her face, so very different to his own.

_If only I wasn't such a defensive asshole…_

* * *

Erik walked with his books back to the locker area after the first two periods; it was recess now and he dreaded the moment he knew he'd have to sit alone and wait for the bullying to begin.

He made his way through the locker area, flicking open his locker and dumping all his books from the first two periods, except his art book. He slid it between his ancient history and Advanced English books, knowing he would get bored at some point.

He began to push his way through the masses of people and suddenly stopped when he saw Christine pass by, watching her out of the corner of his eye.

He saw her chattering with a tanned blonde girl with a pretty face and a stunning thin girl with sleek red hair. She reached her locked and he watched as an attractive dark blonde haired guy kissed her cheek and gave her a small bunch of flowers; white gardenias.

_Bugger…_

Erik turned from this; of course she'd have a boyfriend, a stunning popular girl like her. Only two hours into this school and he could already spot the social cliques; the popular attractive group, the smart group, music geeks, art nerds, Asian exchange students and the spotted loners, scattered across the groups, trying to join in but never really wanted.

He shuddered and moved to an empty park bench; it was so different to England, everything was outdoors while England had cafeterias and never good enough weather to be outside for long. It was pretty here with lots of trees, gardens and bushland with pathways and buildings landscaped into the environment. Maybe it would be different here?

He sat and pulled out his ipod and put on something normal, in case another person took interest in what he was listening to. He didn't want to be known as that kid in the mask who listens to opera. That isn't a very good reputation to have in a highschool.

He put on the new song from 'The Killers', the one modern band he could actually endure. He didn't mind old rock like Led Zeppelin, ACDC, Deep Purple and Pink Floyd. Queen was one of the best bands and Jeff Buckley had the voice of an angel in his view but all that music, while he liked it, wasn't what he loved.

'_On my own pretending he's beside me…'_

He adored classical, baroque, romantic orchestrated works by Handel, Mozart, Bach, Chopin, Bizet, and Wagner. He had saved up and seen eight operas in London and seen many more musicals at the West End theatres.

_'This is your song…'_

That was all he had left of his father; when he had died when Erik was only a baby he left him a pile of money in a bank account for him, which he could not touch until he was sixteen. He was seventeen now and used that money to pay his debt for all his theatre tickets, hardly making a dent in the money left for him.

_'Since I've been loving you…'_

He didn't live with his mother; she was back in London probably still on the drugs, refusing help. He had been sent to live with his father's sister and hardly saw anything of her as she worked long hours.

He never really had ever felt the word family was suitable to place upon any of the people he lied with; its not that they were bad people, just they never liked him. His mother, Madeline, hated him from the moment he was born, for something only cosmetic, unimportant. His father had apparently loved him like any father loves his son but he died only six months after Erik's birth.

_'Smoke on the water, fire in the sky…'_

"So what's with the mask?" came a deep voice and Erik pulled out one earphone and turned to see a group of menacing guys, arms folded and Erik gulped; he knew it was coming.

_'Mama, just killed a man…'_

"Nothing, I just have to wear it," he said quietly and the boy in the front chuckled along with the rest of them.

"So it wont matter it I take it off?" he reached for Erik's mask and Erik instantly threw his fist towards the guys face, knocking him off his feet as the rest of the group stumbled backwards.

_'You need coolin, baby I'm not foolin…'_

"You little shit!" yelled out the punched one on the floor. The gang gathered around menacingly cracking their knuckles and Erik quivered in fear.

"Brendan! What happened baby?" cried out Meg, running to the punched one on the ground, clutching his eye. She kissed him and looked worriedly at him as a teacher approached.

_'He had it coming, he only had himself to blame…'_

"That new kid just punched me for no reason, the psycho" Brendan said in a completely different tone, innocent and appreciative of his sweet blonde girlfriend. She turned and looked at Erik with disgust.

_'Maybe this time, I'll be lucky…'_

"That's just a punk ass thing to do; what'd my boyfriend ever do to you?" she said defensively as Erik clenched his fists in anger; it always happened this way.

A teacher approached having seen the scuffle and took Erik by the shoulder, telling Brendan to go to sickbay to get an icepack.

_'And all I know is down inside I'm bleeding…'_

"You're new to the school? Erik Destler is it? Well I don't know about England but that's not the way we act here. I'm giving you a Thursday afternoon detention and this is just a warning. Normally those who start fights end up with a day in-school suspension; we don't tolerate it here" the teacher lectured and Erik nodded; there was no point in trying to defend himself, he had tried so many times in England and he just had gotten into worse trouble.

"Yes sir" he said and handed the teacher his school diary and received a note inside it informing him of where and when his detention was to be.

He sighed as he read this as the teacher walked off; Thursday afternoon until five-the same time as his piano lesson.

_Bugger…

* * *

_


	3. Chapter Three

Thanks to those who reviewed; Timeflies, laal ratty, EscaPhan225. Thanks.

This chapter...not sure if i like or not. Meh.

Please guys i love feedback-REVIEWS!

* * *

**Chapter Three**

"Oh my god Chris, have you seen that new kid?" Meg whispered to Christine and she looked at her curiously and shrugged.

"No, why?" she said and quickly faced the front again; they were in third period maths and Christine was beginning to regret taking advanced. Their teacher was Mr Preece who was known for being tough, and mean.

"Hold on-I'll write it down" Meg whispered and pulled a scrap of paper from her notebook and began to scrawl furiously. Christine sighed; Meg was always getting into a fluster about nothing.

She scrunched up the piece of paper carefully and passed it to Christine under the desk as Mr Preece rambled on about further trigonometry equations, frantically writing mathematical equations across the white board. Christine unwrapped the note and read it carefully on her lap:

_Okay so there's this new kid, he's like a total freak and wears this mask thing-it's like black and covers the right side of his face, not even a hole for his right eye which I find really creepy if I must say. Anyway the point is Brendan went up to him with his mates to see why the fuck he wears the stupid thing. I mean what is he? Zorro? Anyhoo this kid, Eric I think, just throws a punch at Brendan's face; jut like that. Brendan is like in sickbay with an icepack to his __black eye__. The nerve of that kid. I mean it's not like he's terribly buff-he's a skinny shrimpy thing, thinner than you and you're an anorexic slut. Just joking ____ but the point is we ought to get him back. How about it?_

Christine sighed and suddenly remembered that new kid in music that morning; he wore and mask and his name was Erik. He had been so rude but she guessed he was nervous, joining a new school and all.

And she knew Brendan would not have been too polite to him; she always kept her feelings about Brendan hidden from Meg but truthfully she thought he was an ass. She pulled out another piece of paper from her notebook and began to write:

Are you sure Brendan wasn't picking on him, you know like provoking him? He seemed very shy in music this morning; hardly said a word let alone punching people for no good reason.

She was just about to give it to Meg when he heard Mr Preece clear his throat and she looked up at him; standing right in front of her. She gulped and he held out his hand which she placed the note in.

"I'm disappointed Daaé, I thought you would begin to take our work seriously this year. It seems I was mistaken. Detention this Thursday afternoon" he said and the class giggled as she rolled her eyes; not again.

Meg gave her an apologetic look and Christine kicked her under the desk and for the rest of the class she worked silently, determined to let Meg know she was angry. Her singing lessons were on Thursday afternoons and now she had to cancel her first one of the term. She hated missing them.

* * *

"So girls; how was your first day back?" Anne asked happily as she dumped her things on the long kitchen bench, Christine and Meg having collapsed upon the couch to watch cartoons an hour earlier when they arrived home at four. 

"Not that good" Meg sighed and Christine hit Meg over the head. Meg looked at her angrily and Christine pulled a face "Christine wants me to tell you that I got her in trouble by accident and she has to go to a Thursday afternoon detention. She's pissed at me and hasn't spoken to me all day-tell her to pull the stick out of her ass mum" Meg whined and Anne raised an eyebrow.

"I don't want to know about any of these _sticks_ Marguerite Louise Giry. Christine that's your singing lesson isn't it?" Anne said exasperatedly and Christine nodded angrily.

"That's why she's so pissed mum, because she misses her singing lesson. I didn't mean to get her in trouble" Meg whined and Anne shook her head as Christine poked her tongue out at Meg.

"You girls work it out yourselves, I need a lie down before those classes begin tonight" Anne sighed and left the room as Christine threw a cushion at Meg who shot her a look of loathing.

"Bite me Chris"

* * *

Christine continued the next couple days talking to Raoul on msn and through text messages. Meg teased her about his name and Christine just shot her a look of glowing happiness that a girl only had when she knew she had a boy chasing after her. 

**///De Chagny…:P/// says:**

Hey gorguz

**One Day I'll Fly Away says:**

Hello you…

**///De Chagny…:P/// says:**

How r u Chris?

**One Day I'll Fly Away says:**

Oh fine, wbu?

**///De Chagny…:P/// says:**

I'm always good when I talk to you Little Lotte…

**One Day I'll Fly Away says:**

You remembered!

**///De Chagny…:P/// says:**

How could I forget Lotte?

**One Day I'll Fly Away says:**

: $ Do you remember that summer?

**///De Chagny…:P/// says:**

Your father teaching me to play the violin

**One Day I'll Fly Away says:**

God I still have the nightmares-you were so bad it sounded like a cat committing suicide.

**///De Chagny…:P/// says:**

Yeh well you weren't the best of singers.

**One Day I'll Fly Away says:**

Oy!

**///De Chagny…:P/// says:**

What? You weren't!

**One Day I'll Fly Away says:**

I'll have you know I am the lead soprano in all the choirs…when Carlotta isn't around that is.

**One Day I'll Fly Away has offered to send a voice clip: Click ****here**** to download. ****Cancel.**

**///De Chagny…:P/// has accepted voiceclip.**

**13 Downloaded**

**///De Chagny…:P/// says:**

There, I'm downloading it. Now lets see if you're really as good as you say…What song are you singing?

**25 Downloaded**

**One Day I'll Fly Away says:**

One I wrote myself; Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again. I dedicated it to my father…

**///De Chagny…:P/// says:**

Oh…I'm sorry.

**One Day I'll Fly Away says:**

Don't be-it was an accident.

**32 downloaded**

**///De Chagny…:P/// says:**

I'm still sorry-a girl like you doesn't deserve to be orphaned.

**One Day I'll Fly Away says:**

Thanks, that means a lot

**///De Chagny…:P/// says:**

So what you up to tomorrow night?

**49 Downloaded**

**One Day I'll Fly Away says:**

I've got a stupid fcking detention. I miss out on my singing lesson

**///De Chagny…:P/// says:**

ohhhh…what about Friday?

**One Day I'll Fly Away says:**

I'm free that night-no drama, no music and no detentions. Its my only night of freedom in the week

**67 Downloaded**

**///De Chagny…:P/// says:**

Well would you like to go see a movie with me?

**One Day I'll Fly Away says:**

I'd love to

**78 Downloaded**

**///De Chagny…:P/// says:**

What movie you wanna see?

**One Day I'll Fly Away says:**

The new James Bond one?

**///De Chagny…:P/// says:**

Sure thing-want to go to dinner afterwards

**One Day I'll Fly Away says:**

Ok

**94 Downloaded**

**///De Chagny…:P/// says:**

Okay, um, meet you at Castle Towers outside the piazza cinemas at 6:00 pm?

**One Day I'll Fly Away says:**

Okay :$

Download complete 

**///De Chagny…:P/// says:**

Hold on a second-listening to song…

**One Day I'll Fly Away says:**

okay…

**///De Chagny…:P/// says:**

…:O

**One Day I'll Fly Away says:**

is it that bad?

**///De Chagny…:P/// says:**

Hahahahahaha

**One Day I'll Fly Away says:**

Oh god…

**///De Chagny…:P/// says:**

You suggested that it was bad? That made me laugh-a lot.

**One Day I'll Fly Away says:**

Huh?

**///De Chagny…:P/// says:**

You sound like an angel Christine

**One Day I'll Fly Away says:**

**///De Chagny…:P/// says:**

Who taught you? Was it your fathers mysterious 'Angel of Music'?

**One Day I'll Fly Away says:**

Haha now it's my turn to laugh. I don't believe in those fairytales anymore Raoul, I'm not a complete ninny. It's been a lot of hard work over the years, practicing like nuts. I'm determined to get an offer from a theatre company like 'Opera Australia' or perhaps in musicals, like in West End London.

**///De Chagny…:P/// says:**

You deserve it-wait! Did you actually write that song?

**One Day I'll Fly Away says:**

Yeh-why?

**///De Chagny…:P/// says:**

And you got the orchestra to play it?

**One Day I'll Fly Away says:**

Yeah-I wrote the whole orchestrated part as well. I love composition; it's so much better than singing other peoples work.

**///De Chagny…:P/// says:**

Shit! I g2g

**One Day I'll Fly Away says:**

Oh

**///De Chagny…:P/// says:**

Yeh sorry-I was cooking dinner and popped on msn quickly-shit I can smell smoke!

**One Day I'll Fly Away says:**

Oh my god…

**One Day I'll Fly Away says:**

Wait-don't you guys like have a maid to cook for you or something?

**///De Chagny…:P/// says:**

Hah as if Chris. We may be rich but were not snobby like that. We can look after ourselves

**One Day I'll Fly Away says:**

I'm going to remind you; look after yourself? You just burnt dinner

**///De Chagny…:P/// says:**

Shut up!

**One Day I'll Fly Away says:**

No: P

**///De Chagny…:P/// says:**

G2g xx

**One Day I'll Fly Away says:**

Bye xox

**///De Chagny…:P/// may not reply as he or she appears to be offline.**

**One Day I'll Fly Away has left the conversation.

* * *

**

Christine sat chewing her pink bubblegum into a wad as she listened to Led Zeppelin on her new black video ipod. She was sitting outside the detention room waiting for the teacher to arrive and allow them inside. She gazed at the others around her, similarly waiting for the teacher, all with ipods glued in their ears.

She popped another meaningless bubble of pink gum and her eyes widened as she saw the new kid, Erik, approaching. She rose one eyebrow at him as he sat down next to her with all the others waiting for their late teacher. She pulled out his ipod earphones and her own.

"First week and you're already on detention?" she said incredulously though she knew it was probably because of his fight with Brendan. He nodded and put his earphone back in, determined to be unfriendly.

She popped another bubble of pink gum, listening to Led Zeppelin's _Since I've been loving you_, as Erik flicked through his playlists; the both of them completely unaware to the fact that they were listening to the same song, both their favourite.

The supervision teacher arrived; Mr Withall. He forced them to spit out their gum and put away their ipods as they prepared for an hour of complete and utter boredom.

As Christine sat staring straight ahead she felt someone tap her; Sergei Koslov was passing a note to her under the table and she sighed and read it.

_Party at my house not this Saturday but, like, the next Saturday night? 7pm till you drop basically. The whole of, like, year eleven is, like, invited basically. Be there and, like, bring drinks._

_-Sergei_

She sighed; he was constantly having huge roaring parties filled with drug taking, drinking, sex and violence. She couldn't stand them most of the time but Meg and Jammes always dragged her there. She was sure they would this time and the next as well.

_I guess_

_Chris_

She passed it back to him and he winked at her; he was attractive and always was trying to hit on her. But all she could think of was Raoul.

* * *


	4. Chapter Four

_Authors Note: I can see so many hits for this-over 200 and only what? 7 reviews. Please-if you read this and like it or think it needs work PLEASE review. I'm sure it wont hurt-try it-the review button doesn't bite..._

_Also i may not be able to update for another...week and a half as i have major school exams. I also wrote the next chapter a while back (it was inspiration for the phic) but it was hand written when i was bored at a family function. I typed up half of it and planned to do the rest later; i lost the original copy. And it was really good so i shall work on remembering what i wrote. _

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* * *

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**Chapter Four**

Classes continued as normal for Christine in that next week as she was piled on with homework and wished she had not taken so many subjects. She was studying Advanced English, Standard Maths, Ancient History, Modern History, Drama, Advanced Music, Extension Music and Extension English and was already beginning to feel the pressure set in as she began her preliminary HSC course.

The amount of English and History she was attempting to do was piling up the essays and extended response practice questions already and although she was perfectly able to do such things she could not find the time between singing lessons, choir, dancing and drama, not to mention those relentless afternoon detentions she had a habit of receiving.

But she pulled through, doing homework in study periods and lunchtime, sparing any moment she had to steal a spare music room and practice her singing. She could now hit an E6 and was striving to drive her singing higher and gain a purer tone.

While Christine was working herself to the edge that week Erik sat calmly in his classes, completing homework early and having quite a bit of leisure time to sit and tune out to television or play upon the piano or flute. He was doing hard subjects but only had piano lessons once a week and had to practice a fair bit each night; that's if he wanted an A for his coming eighth grade exam. At school he was attempting to do Advanced English, Advanced Maths, Chemistry, Drama, Advanced Music, Modern History, Extension Music and Extension English. He was coping with English and music but drama was hard; the teacher was nice but outgoing and Erik was too shy to ever show his acting talents and continued keeping to himself.

At school he attempted to blend into the crowd and would've passed for the quiet slightly nerdy kid had it not been for his intriguing black mask. But with the mask he stood out like a lion in a bunch of tabby cats and was constantly harassed and heckled by Brendan and his group, bullied through class and shoved in corridors. But never had the bullies managed to rip the mask from his face and Erik wrenched his face in frustration when he realised he would have to deal with it for another two years.

Erik was sitting in Advanced English, writing notes on the text they were studying; _The Crucible_ while the class chattered and discussed ideas about the play. He felt his mobile phone buzz in his pocket and put up his hand and the teacher bustled over to him.

"Miss, may I please go to the bathroom?" he asked quietly and she nodded as the rest of the class sniggered at him; half of them didn't even know his name and just knew him as the freak in the mask.

Erik walked down the corridor pulling his phone out and reading the message; it was a new myspace comment. He opened up myspace and cringed as he read the anonymous comment;

_'Wat da hell do u think u r u pothead maskd freek? head piss off outta our school b4 we chase u out ourselfs u Fer'_

Erik felt the angry red flush creeping up his mottled skin and gripped the phone furiously as he went to delete the comment. He knew he shouldn't have let them get to him but instead of delete he pressed 'reply';

_I know you are but what am I? Oh yeah-smarter than you dipshits..._

The moment Erik pressed send he regretted it. But it was done and he shrugged, knowing that maybe he might've confused them enough to make them stop. Suddenly he spotted a new bulletin and opened it.

_New Bulletin from Sergei;_

_Hey guys it's like my birthday I'm like having a party this weekend and all of Garniel Grammar School Year Eleven is invited. Bring your school ID or you like wont be let in by my bouncers. Please bring alcohol and whatever else we may need. From 7pm at my house, 12 castlehaven place, Castlebrook._

Erik instantly had a vision of the next Monday, him sitting in Music and chatting to the members of his music class, of having someone to sit next to in History, of being confident enough to involve himself in Drama. If he went to this party maybe people in their semi-drunken state would loosen up and give him a chance-he might even meet a girl he might liked.

An image of Christine flashed into his head and he knew that the same thing would happen as did with her, as did with most girls. He would be defensive and blow it, making the girl think he was an ass.

But this image of Christine annoyed him; he constantly saw her hanging with that French student; the attractive blonde French guy that all the girls swooned over. Erik knew he certainly wasn't Christine's type if she was into the charming, popular, attractive, sporty French guy.

What was he again?

Ah yes; a lonered dark haired skinny music-type British guy, with a mask. He was often seated next to Christine though in Music and she had not attempted to talk to him again since that first day.

He noted down the address for the party and headed back to class, unsure of what really would happen that weekend.

* * *

Christine straightened her top in the mirror, frowning at her reflection. She and Raoul had been dating for a month now and were desperately in love. They were going to a party at Sergei's house that night; Sergei always found any excuse for a party-whether it be a birthday, end of exams, beginning of term, end of term, midterm. Christine looked down at her reflection and took in her outfit.

She was wearing a white summer dress, knee-length with spaghetti straps and a sweetheart neckline. It was casual and pretty and teamed with all her silver jewellery and heels it was an instant party outfit. Her hair was pinned up out of her face and trailed down her back as her porcelain skin challenged the white of the dress. She slid on a black-cropped bolero jacket from Myer and smiled; she looked great.

"Chrissie are you ready? Brendan's picking us up in ten minutes" Meg called out and Christine turned to see her cousin standing in the doorway-stunning in a red strapless dress with black cork wedges and a pair of black over-sized sunglasses. Her long blonde hair was crimped into long messy mermaid waves and she carried a black Guess bag. Meg had always been the pretty and stunning girl, with her petite figure, blonde hair and generous bust; Christine constantly felt like the dark gangly flat-chested girl next to this beauty. While Meg had all the beauty and flirtatiousness of Marilyn Christine never realised she in fact had all the sophistication and dark elegance of Audrey. Both were beautiful and inextricably different.

"You look fabulous" Christine gushed and Meg twirled happily while giggling as Jammes came into the room fixing an earring in place with one patent leather cork heel upon her foot.

"Jammes where's your other shoe?" Meg exclaimed and Jammes waved her hand negligently.

"It'll turn up," she said as Christine took in her outfit.

Jammes had all the beauty and the style to go with it-but added her own personal quirks. She wore a black halter-neck dress, a slinky frock that hugged her petite figure. She wore her flaming red hair out and straightened with red lace footless tights from sportsgirl combined with her black patent leather heels. A normal girl could never have pulled off what Jammes was going to do.

Suddenly a car horn beeped and Jammes dove back into her overnight bag, throwing underwear, deodorant, hairbrushes and CDs everywhere until she pulled out the other shoe.

"Found it…I …well?" she said and pulled the other shoe off her right foot and held them up to look at them properly.

"Jammes…why are they both for the right foot?" Christine asked, perplexed.

"Funny that" Jammes sighed and opened her bag again, sticking her head and hands in, trying to find it "Don't worry-the left one will be here somewhere"

* * *

Erik looked in the mirror and sighed; it was never going to get better. He had thrown on a green and black striped polo shirt with his levis jeans and his black converses and supposed that from the neck down he looked rather snazzy.

But from the neck up was a mess-sure the left side was fine; it always had been and he supposed unless acne attacked it would always be fine. But the damned mask was an accessory he didn't need nor want.

He had gone to some of the parties and had learnt that it was better to go and keep out of sight from Brendan than it was to turn up on Monday and have the entire year talking about it and dissing the losers who didn't come. Erik had decided he attracted less attention by going and at least having something to talk about when someone made small talk in a boring class.

School had not improved; he was regularly bullied and chased by Brendan and his mates and began to fear Thursday afternoons when he had English extension and Brendan had basketball training. Erik's aunt couldn't pick him up until half an hour later than the end of the extra class and it was in this extra thirty minutes that Brendan and his friends took advantage of the lack of supervision.

Aunt Clarice never noticed anything wrong and Erik knew from experience that it would make matters worse if they reported the bullying. He just attempted to ignore them and keep out of Brendan's way. His seventeenth birthday had just passed and he got his license and instantly bought an old two thousand dollar car. It was pretty crap looking but ran well enough and that's all he needed.

His Aunt Clarice was in the kitchen, tapping away at her laptop while eating a banana and doing her hair; she was due at a business dinner in the city in two hours and wasn't even dressed yet. She was staying the night at the hotel her and the rest of the executives were dining at, complementary of the company. Clarice would not be back until midday the next day which gave Erik free range on what he could do.

"Clarice, I'll be back before you are" he called out as he went out the front door to his car.

* * *


	5. Chapter Five

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Christine grabbed a watermelon flavoured vodka cruiser from the fridge and made her way back onto the dancefloor, sculling the drink straight from the bottle. She came to Raoul and began to dance with him, her body fluid and sinuous, his eyes goggling her long thin legs and gyrating behind.

"Chris" he whispered huskily into her ear and she turned to him, putting her arms around his neck as she kissed his ear slowly.

"What?" She whispered tenderly and he took her hand and leaned in closer to her, his pulsating body up against her own.

"Want to go upstairs?" he suggested, the warm desire melting in his voice like chocolate and she nodded, grabbing him by his shirt collar and leading him up the stairs of the large house.

They entered an empty dark bedroom, and the couple sat quietly on the still double bed. Raoul leaned in and began to kiss her luscious lips softly, slowly, as she opened her mouth, yearning for him.

Suddenly she pulled away and fiercely grabbed him firmly by his broad muscled shoulders, pushing him down to lie upon the bed, jumping on top of him to straddle his hips, kissing him faster, more passionate as his hands explored her body in such intense desire he felt as if he would eat her up completely as her hands edged skilfully towards his fly.

"Come on you little cunt!" came the shout of Meg's boyfriend, Brendan, from the window below in the backyard.

Christine sat up and ran to the window, knowing exactly whom she'd see Brendan attacking.

She watched in horror as she saw Erik being attacked by a gang of year eleven guys, the laughter of fellow partiers and onlookers making her shudder, a nauseous feeling entering her stomach.

"What is it?" Raoul said cantankerously, as he walked to the window, doing up his fly then placing his hand on Christine's bare shoulder.

"Brendan and his friend…they're attacking Erik" she said in choked horror and Raoul shrugged, unsure of why this upset her so much.

"So?" he asked; Brendan was that constant type who needed someone to push around, someone less capable than him. It wasn't fair, it didn't pretend to be; it was merely a matter of survival in highschool, making sure you and those you loved weren't the ones he decided to push.

Raoul didn't agree with it but he was content knowing he and Christine weren't the object of Brendan's drunken anger; if you got involved or tried to stop him it just made matters worse.

But Christine zipped up the side of her dress and ran from the room in a flash, leaving Raoul confused as to where she had gone. She trickled lightly down the stairs and burst out onto the veranda where most of the party had congregated, drinking as they laughed at the four strongly built guys, including Brendan, knocked the senses out of Erik.

She gaped in horror as she walked down the steps onto the soft green grass. She walked furiously to Brendan who was currently in the middle of repeatedly punching Erik in the face, laughing drunkly.

"Stop it" she screamed, pulling at his wide shoulders but Brendan was too drunk to be chastised. He turned and saw Christine's petite figure, standing defiantly with her hands on her hips, a scowl crossing her pretty face. He laughed at such a little girl approaching him so stupidly.

"Chris what are you doing you idiot?" screamed Jammes from the porch, too drunk to come to her friends aid but not drunk enough to not realise how much danger she was in.

Brendan laughed, snorting as he sprayed her face with spit, as Christine remained unmoved. He turned and dropped Erik to the floor, who cowered, clutching at his blood drenched face.

"Why?" he slurred as if it were some joke, some inconceivable joke that someone could possibly come to Erik's aid. Christine grew angry at the snorting drunken pig, the man who was no longer handsome and witty in her view; when she saw him all she could see was blood.

"You fucking bastard what'd he ever do to you?" she growled, slapping him hard across the laughing face, her nails scratching at his smooth skin, infuriating this drunken beast.

He threw a punch to her face, hitting her brutally in the eye and the force knocked her to the ground, her body a crumpled heap on the grass. Everyone bellowed in laughter at this as Brendan picked the bleeding Erik from the ground and put him into a gruelling headlock.

Erik gazed confusedly at the laughing crowd and instantly had a flash of the mob of teenagers, remembering something he once had read. They laughed as if they were medieval fools watching a bear being baited, swinging its giant paws at the vicious dogs who attacked him. The crowd would roar with laughter when the bear was finally pulled to the ground by the fiercest of the dammed dogs; Brendan was that dog, Erik the bear.

Christine was the outspoken lady of the court, who had talked out of turn, crying out against the inhumane actions of the people, hardly understanding that no matter what time, place or people it was that this sort of entertainment would always greatly thrill their society.

_I hope she's okay…_

Suddenly Erik was jolted from his indescribable thoughts as Brendan began to yell at the crowd, laughing manically as he gestured towards Erik's blood-soaked mask.

"Lets see what Zorro here is hiding then!" Brendan roared and Erik felt a flash of blinding fear as the mask was ripped from his face and the entire guffawing crowd went utterly silent.

The onlookers stood in stunned silence as they took in the horror before their selfish greedy eyes. While the left side of his face was almost handsome his right was a shockingly horrific mess.

The skin was red and pockmarked, bubbling and taut like third degree burns, only deep brown gashes breaking the indented skin. There were incredible sweeps of sunken brown slashes, a large circular one below his cheek next to his mouth, a sunburst of cadaverous brown burns, almost the colour of dried blood. His eyebrow was devoid of hair, a mere bulging lump of skin deep-set over his empty black eye socket. No, not empty; in the darkness you could see the slight glint of a gaunt, deep-set eye, glinting almost yellow in the moonlight. The skin around his socket was lumpy and pinched, pasty white, almost yellow as it twisted and turned around the empty socket. The right side of his lip extended in blood red blemishes, boils ever present amongst these odd markings. But through this slight extension his top lip split an entire inch or two, revealing one of his teeth and inflamed red gums, the lip edges healed long ago, as if someone had gotten a pair of sharp scissors and snipped his lip in half. His right ear was almost nonexistent, a mere lump of unpleasant cartilage and singed skin. Everyone saw the fake prosthetic ear attached to the mask Brendan held in his hands. As if Erik's face wasn't ghastly enough Brendan had just broken his nose and the blood pumped from it fiercely, filling his mouth with red as he spluttered on the thick scarlet liquid.

_I am ruined for sure…_

Slowly the tittering laughs began and soon the entire cluster of people on the veranda was hollering with thunderous laughter, clutching their stomaches in pain as they pointed and laughed at the freak; Erik.

Brendan dropped the deformed boy from the headlock and he crumpled to the ground, shuddering in pain as his body shook from fear. Brendan kicked him remorselessly in the stomach, Erik moaning in pain as Brendan spat on him with disgust. The gang sauntered off, hi-fiving each other and laughing as Joel threw the black soiled mask at Erik's feet.

The party slowly moved back inside to the music and food, still laughing at the atrocities they had just borne witness to.

Christine pulled herself to her feet, rubbing her face, which throbbed with pain, a headache already having set in. She walked to where Erik lay groaning, holding his nose which spurted blood. She kneeled, sitting on her feet as she pulled him for his head to rest in her lap.

"You okay?" she whispered sadly, knowing it was a useless question considering his state. She removed her jacket she had thrown on upon leaving Raoul in the bedroom and pushed it to his nose, putting pressure to it to soak up the blood.

"Yeh..." he groaned and she grimaced.

"Those bastards..." she sighed and Erik gave her a weak smile.

"Are you okay? They hit you hard" he asked, forever concerned about her and she blushed.

"I'm fine, I'm more worried about you at the moment though" she said as Raoul and Jammes rushed down, kneeling over Erik.

"Are you okay Christine?" Raoul asked her worriedly as Jammes took over caring for Erik, Raoul hugging Christine, looking at the bruised lump forming on her forehead.

"I'm fine, he didn't hit me too hard. We have to get Erik back to my place, it's closest, can you drive us?" she asked and as Raoul was about to reply a horrified scream came from the upstairs bedroom. Jammes stood up, her face going pale.

"That's Meg's scream, Raoul? Want to come get her...it came from a bedroom...might need your help" She said in shock and Raoul nodded, taking her hand but looked back at Christine pushing the blood-soaked jacket against Erik's bleeding face.

"Christine, you guys can go ahead, here's my car keys" he said, pulling his keys from his pocket.

"How then will you get home? And I don't have my license-Erik is in no state to drive. We'll walk" she said decidedly and Raoul gave her a worried look.

"You sure you'll be fine?" he asked and she nodded.

"Yep, can you call Aunt Annie to let her know we're coming and to call the doctor" Christine asked, and Raoul nodded, kissing her upon the cheek then running off to the house with Jammes, pulling out his phone as he went.

"Come on, let's get you up" Christine turned to Erik and helped him to his feet. He put his arm around her and tilted his head back, holding the jacket to it as he pinched his nose.

"Okay...ummm...how close is your house?" he asked nervously and she laughed.

"About ten minutes away, don't worry"

* * *

"Get off me!" Meg screeched as Brendan grabbed her as Angelina zipped up her dress.

"It's not what it looks" he begged, grabbing the girls thin shaking wrists as her face screwed up in anger.

"Not what it looks? I come in here to find you poking that slut? I come in here to find you moaning between the legs of a whore? So what was it if not that?" Meg spat at him in disgust and Angelina ran from the room unnoticed.

"It wasn't like that! God Meg! Why can't you just listen?" he shouted in her face and Meg tried to move from his grip.

"Stupid bastard!" she screamed and the drunken boy slapped her hard across the face. Then, picking her up he threw her down upon the bed, coming down upon her as she screamed.

"I make you listen" he muttered in desperation "No...please don't cry...I'm going to make it better" he pleaded as he set about unzipping her dress as she clawed at him.

"No Brendan" she pleaded and he looked at her.

"I'll make it better," he said desperately and suddenly his eyes rolled back into his head and he sprawled to the floor. Meg looked up, wiping her face as she saw Raoul and Jammes standing behind the unconscious Brendan.

"Oh my god..." he said in horror and helped Meg up, gathering her into his arms as she shook and cried while Jammes marched out to Angelina who was attempting to leave the party quietly.

"Oy slut!" she said, grabbing the strap of Angelina's dress and she turned to face Jammes.

"Yes?" she asked, with a slightly bored look entering her face.

"Next time don't just borrow without asking. It's just a little rude" she said and Angelina shrugged.

"You leave meat on a doorstep the cats are going to eat it aren't they?" she merely said and left, closing the front door behind her.

Jammes sighed and turned to see Raoul holding Meg.

"I guess we better get going"

* * *

"You okay? We're nearly there now, just around the next corner" Christine groaned as Erik's weight began to bear down upon her and he chuckled.

"Sorry, am I hurting you" he asked and she shook her head, grinning despite the situation.

"Nope, I'm fine, you're so fat though" she giggled, poking his skinny frame and he chuckled.

"Yep, I'm as fat as Raoul is black and Meg is quiet" he laughed and Christine laughed with him, her smile beautiful as he stared at her, becoming serious "I'm as fat as you are ugly"

Christine stopped laughing and blushed, looking down the road, as if watching out for cars and Erik blushed, knowing he'd pushed it.

"We're here" she said, turning him into the driveway and he smiled.

"Thanks" he said but before she could reply they were rushed in by Aunt Annie and Christine rubbed her eyes at the shock of the bright lights.

"Oh god, Doctor, will you come here, this is him" Annie said worriedly and the doctor came in and led Erik to the family room where his things were.

"A bit of a bump ey?" the doctor joked then gasped as he saw Erik's right side, still unmasked "Did they...oh god! Has that already dried? What did they do to you?" he exclaimed and Erik instantly rose his hand to his face protectively.

"No, no, this...my face...it's been like that since birth...a deformity" he muttered and the doctor cursed, having put his foot in it.

"It's okay, I normally wear a mask...I don't know where it is but" Erik said suddenly, looking around him and Christine shook her head, pulling the mask from her bag.

"I grabbed it before we left" she said, shrugging as she handed it to him and he smiled through the blood.

"Thanks"

As Erik was led off to be stitched up in the family room, Annie led Christine to the kitchen to ice the growing purpled bump upon her forehead.

"Luckily you'll be able to fix your hair to hide it" Annie said as she filled a bag with ice cubes and pressed it to Christine's forehead, ensuing a shocked gasp from Christine at the cold ice.

"Yeah" she said, squirming underneath the cold ice as Annie looked at her, fixing a drink of freshly brewed coffee.

"Here," she handed a mug of coffee to Christine "Now what exactly went on?"

Christine opened her mouth to explain but at that moment Raoul's voice came from the foyer.

"Hey, I have Meg and Jammes, is Christine and Erik back?" Raoul called out, entering the kitchen and running quickly over to Christine, kissing her cheek.

"Hey" she said softly and he smiled in relief.

"Thank god you made it home safely, where's Erik?" Raoul asked, looking about and Christine pointed to the family room.

"Getting his nose fixed by the doctor. Do you want to stay over? It's late" she asked and he nodded.

"That'd be great," he said then looking up at Anne "You wouldn't mind? I'll just crash on the couch"

"It'll be fine Raoul, Erik's also staying over and Jammes was going to stay over already. Just don't raid my liqueur cabinet" Anne laughed and looked around "Where's Meg?" she asked and Raoul bit his lip.

"She just went up to bed, she was pretty upset, she found...well...I'll explain later" Raoul said and Anne nodded. Christine stood, kissing all of them on the cheek as she announced she was going to bed as Jammes and Raoul crashed on the couch, watching MTV trash and Anne began to make herself a tea.

Christine arrived in her bedroom and didn't bother turning off the light or closing the door as she fell into bed, absolutely exhausted. All she could manage was to unzip her dress and throw it away. She was about to remove her bra when she fell into a deep sleep, her head aching.

* * *


	6. Chapter Six

_Quick update-think yourselves lucky. I want some r_

* * *

Christine awoke in her underwear, her bra unfastened and her mascara smudged as she pulled the blankets from her sticky sweaty body. She glanced at her radio alarm clock, which told her it was half-past ten in the morning. The sun shone through the messy curtains, half pinned back from her disorganized attempts the previous morning, having not closed them when she fell into bed the night before.

Though Christine was pleased to see her bedroom door had been sufficiently closed; probably by Aunt Annie. With both Raoul and Erik sleeping over she didn't want them having walked past her bedroom on the way to the toilet and seeing her sprawled half naked.

She stumbled from the bed and groaned when she saw her reflection, grabbing her pyjama shorts and a soccer jersey and pulled them on as she wiped the smudged mascara from beneath her eyes and pinched her cheeks.

Christine entered the house to find her friends sprawled across it. Raoul was slouching across a couch in the family room, eating a bowl of weetbix, milk and honey while watching the Sunday morning cartoons on Nickelodeon.

Jammes was lying upside down next to him in her green flannelette pyjama pants and black singlet top, her feet up next to his head as reading a Cosmopolitan magazine while chewing at a piece of toast with vegemite, the both of them giggling at the latest Spongebob cartoon.

Meg wasn't to be seen; her door was closed and Christine knew better than to disturb her when the door was closed.

Anne was drinking a mug of coffee in the living room while reading the Sunday morning newspaper; most likely the Culture section, reading about the latest opera or musical in town. A bowl of waffles, maple syrup and ice cream was on the coffee table next to her and Christine felt confused; she was sure they had run out of frozen waffles the day before…she was sure of this because Meg ate the last three and they had a fight about it.

She turned and saw Christine and waved to her, a mouth full of hot coffee disabling her speech temporarily and Christine nodded, yawning as she scratched her head and moved on to the kitchen.

An unmasked Erik sat at the kitchen bench, eating a bowl full of blueberry waffles, ice cream, strawberries and maple syrup while listening to his ipod. He looked up as she entered, his eyes (or at least left eye and right socket) were bruising slowly to a deep purple and there was a small strip of plaster across his nose. Erik flicked off his ipod and smiled, attempting to make a good second impression.

"Good morning, do you like blueberry waffles?" he asked deeply, his normal tenor voice dropping lower from a pure hangover and Christine nodded.

"Yes, they're my favourite" she said, sitting down at the bench as he stood, pulling out the waffles iron and a bowl of mix.

"Made some when I woke this morning for your Aunt, everyone else had gotten their breakfast by then" he said, stirring the mix with a wooden spoon and he began to pour it into the waffle iron.

"Thanks" she said and looked carefully at his nose.

"How's the nose?" she asked and his hand instantly went to the marred side of his face, unmasked and raw from the beating it received night before. Still utterly self conscious he dropped his eyes and subtly let his thick dark hair fall across his right side.

"Good…better at least" he said, ashamed that she had seen him like this…without his mask, ashamed that she had seen him being beaten to a pulp; a weakling…a loser.

"Why do you wear that mask?" Christine suddenly said curiously and he shook his head, turning from her to the waffle iron.

"Don't make fun of it; it isn't funny" he said quietly and Christine was shocked; she had never meant to hurt him, she just couldn't understand why he would cover half his face up from something so trivial.

She voiced this opinion and he looked at her funnily.

"No one's ever said anything like that to me before" he said and she shrugged as he flipped the steaming hot blueberry waffles into a bowl and began to scoop ice cream.

"Maybe you haven't talked to the right people"

At this Erik looked at Christine curiously, wondering that maybe beneath that popular girl exterior there might be a girl who cared and understood. He cleared his throat as he sat back down at his bowl and passed her hers, changing the subject as he did so.

"So…how long have you done music?" he asked conversationally as she swallowed her first mouthful of waffles, icecream and strawberries.

"Well my father was a musician so it kind of just came naturally; I've had vocal training since I was around nine I guess…this is really delicious by the way" She added, pointing to the bowl and Erik blushed.

"Thanks, if I can do anything that's food" he said slightly more confidently and she cocked her head slightly.

"And you; what do you do in music. I haven't exactly heard you play yet. I don't even know what you play," she said becoming more confused as she realised how reclusive he was in class and he shrugged, staring at his now empty bowl.

"Well I play piano, flute and organ and I do a bit of singing I guess," he said, shrugging as his fingers tapped the bench rhythmically.

"What style?" she said suddenly and he raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean Singing; classical? Operatic? Musical theatre? Funk? Pop? Rock? Alternative? Country?" she laughed at her last suggestion and he joined her, shaking his head.

"Mostly Classical and Opera, a little of musical theatre" he said and she smiled at the mention of her preferred styles.

"Same here; I hate the pop crap they start you out on in the beginning of the AMEB grades," she said and he nodded in agreement "Wait!" she added "Did you say organ before?"

Erik blushed; everyone always thought this to be a weird instrument for a teenage boy to be learning.

"Yes, I actually prefer it over piano at times. It's amazing; have you seen a professional organist?" he asked and she shook her head, spooning more waffle into her mouth.

"Not live" she said and he sighed.

"It's amazing; I'll play a piece for you sometime" he said and she nodded.

"Okay"

At that moment Raoul entered, wearing baggy jeans and a white bonds t-shirt, showing off his rippled chest perfectly. Christine smiled and got up, kissing him softly upon his full lips, his arms slipping around her comfortably.

Erik bit his lip and instinctively picked up his bowl and headed to the sink, turning away from the embrace as he washed his breakfast things up.

* * *

Bloody hell must they do that in front of me? 

_Well its not as if you're important to them or something; Raoul only learned your name last night and Christine talked to you out of courtesy this morning…_

Stop it

_You know it's the truth Erik, as if she'd like you_

How do you know Erik? How can you tell where anything will lead? 

_Because you always get these sudden glimmers of hope and when the dream crashes and burns you end up more screwed up than you were to begin with. Bloody hell I just want to protect you're fucking stupid head_

Maybe I don't want to be protected

I think you do; you've let me do it all your life. Think about it; seventeen and never been kissed. Seventeen and not a single friend to your name. Father dead and your pathetic mother doesn't give a crap about you. Tell me; who else is going to step in and stop this madness. Why does it always seem impossible to you for her to like me? 

_Erik! She's seen your face! Who would like you after that? You're a monster and you know it; your own mother hates you for it…_

Yes as you continuously remind me

_Well it's the fucking truth; didn't you see Christine's face last night when you were unmasked? It was a look of pure horror, a look of pity, horror and sickened grief. She instantly wanted nothing to do with you after that moment_

Then why did she help me? 

_She's not a total bitch; she wouldn't leave you to die. Even Frankenstein agreed to help the monster he despised._

Why must you always compare me to that bloody book? It's either that or Hunchback and I'm sick of it…

_The hunchback's a freak and so are you; he fell in love with someone totally out of his reach and I swear you're such an idiot you will too_

She's so beautiful… 

_There's no getting through to you is there Erik?_

Not really

* * *

Erik returned home that afternoon, his Aunt Clarice still not home from her business meeting in the City and sprawled himself across the couch, flicking on MTV as he ate a pint of ice cream.

As music flickered across the TV his thoughts ran around his mind like headless chickens and he tried to understand them. He liked Christine; she was both stunningly pretty and smart while being a sweet girl who actually cared.

But the sight of her boyfriend; the equally smart, equally attractive, equally nice Raoul De Chagny made him quiver in his black converse high-tops. The thought of the way she might've compared himself to that perfect man made him feel sick with shame, especially after her seeing him...unmasked the night earlier.

If Christine had been a bitch, a queen bee of the year group Erik would not particularly like her or care what she thought of him. But he was embarrassed and ashamed that someone he liked would see him in such a low position, to see him having his already ugly face kicked in as the rest of the throng bellowed in hysterical laughter.

Erik frowned as he spooned another scoop of ice-cream into his awaiting mouth, he didn't know what to do.

* * *


	7. Chapter Seven

**Chapter Seven**

Christine sighed as she walked again to music that first period on Monday. Sleeping in then only just remembering that it was a music practical lesson as she arrived at the school had not been a good start to the day; seeing as she had forgotten all her vocal music.

Also realising there was a vast amount of knotted hair at the back of her head underneath the top layer of curls had not helped either; stopping to check it in the bathroom and ripping out a great chunk really didn't fix the problem.

So as she entered the music building, ten minutes late, to find that all the practice rooms were taken up by years eleven and twelve students and the classrooms were used by year sevens, Christine was not happy.

Groaning in frustration she got her name marked off by Mr Hawkinson and attempted to find someone to share a room with. Elinor and Heather were already sharing and Carlotta was a true menace to ever attempt to work with. Michael and Alex were arranging a jazz piece for trumpet and saxophone in the end room and William the Asian who never talked was practicing his 8th grade scales on piano, his fingers flying across the keys with great speed.

But then there was Erik, who was sitting in M3 by himself, composing upon the grand piano, humming as she entered.

Christine listened calmly to the piece he was composing; a sweet melodic piece and she guessed it was for both vocals and piano from the way he muttered, scribbling across the music manuscript.

Erik jolted, only just seeing her and smiled by reflex. Remembering the weekend however his smiled turned to a defensive grimace as he held his manuscript to him, eyes darting, and his black mask was upon his face once more.

"What are you doing here?" he asked nervously and she shrugged.

"Every other room either has a class in it or is already being shared by students; could we please share? I need to practice" she said nervously, wondering what caused his smiling face to suddenly turn grim and defensive.

"I guess" he said grudgingly, turning back to the piano, beginning to play the piece through; a classical vocal piece in Latin with piano accompaniment. He hummed to it, biting the inside of his cheek as he saw in the reflection of the plastic music stand Christine frown and dump her books upon a chair.

After a little while he paused to alter a bar, glancing at Christine who was flipping through her musicology theory book, impatiently catching up on some reading.

"You can use the piano now" he said guiltily, picking his manuscript off the music holder and carrying his books and pen over to a chair.

Erik sat, doing his work as he figured out the notes in his head. Christine sat at the piano and placed her fingers upon the keys lightly; playing the introduction to a song she used to warm up.

As Christine opened her mouth to sing the fire alarms began to squeal and she groaned, remembering today they were having a fire drill.

Standing and gathering her books she left the room to make her way to the oval where the entire school should meet.

Erik sighed and collected his books; this was going to be a long day.

* * *

"Christine can you believe Angelina dared show her face after she was found with Brendan between her legs on Saturday night? I mean-what a slut" Meg said grimly as she sat down next to Christine in period three Modern History.

"What? Do you expect her to stay home from school and miss class because she's afraid of you?" Christine said in confusion and Meg rolled her eyes.

"That's not the point!" she exclaimed and Christine raised an eyebrow, sceptical and sighed. Meg hadn't mentioned much about her and Brendan's breakup, even though they had been together for over eighteen months. She had been strangely quiet in the past days and Christine knew something was wrong.

"You and him over?" she asked, pulling out her text book as Miss Kempfern entered the classroom and Meg glared at her cousin.

"Of course"

* * *

"Hey" Raoul said, smiling with adoration, kissing Christine as she approached her locker and she smiled; he had a talent to brightening up her day.

"Hello you" she said sweetly, his arms falling gently around her waist as she ran her hands through his messy blonde hair.

"How's your day been?" he asked as she pulled out her English books and placed them with her folder atop her locker. Sighing she turned to him.

"Not that good really, I just feel really out of it" she said leaning against his tall strong torso and he held her to him.

"Well do you want to spend lunchtime with me? Go to the canteen, hang for a bit?" he suggested and she smiled.

"That would be perfect"

Erik sat at the grand piano in M3 again, practicing through lunchtime. He knew it was safer at the music building; only the band geeks and music students were up there at lunch and they wouldn't try to bother him. Erik couldn't face being mocked again as he had been on Saturday night.

As his fingers flew across the keys Erik heaved a sigh and stopped, pulling out some blank manuscript and began to write a piece.

Closing his eyes he allowed his hands to come up with the notes and soon he heard a perfect melody being played for him.

Leaning forward he pencilled in this melody and looked at it, wondering what he could make from it; concerto? Suite? Aria?

Smiling as he decided Erik began to find the lyrics...

* * *

"There should be no one up here; I want to show you a new piece I've just perfected, it's really quite beautiful," Christine said as she walked up the stairs to the music building.

"I'm sure it is with you playing it" Raoul said squeezing her hand and she smiled at him.

"Flattery will get you nowhere" she giggled and he pulled her to him at the top of the stairs.

"Oh I think it might" he said seductively and leant his face against hers, nose against nose, just taking in each other's presence.

They continued along the long hallway of the music building until the couple reached M3. Christine placed her hand upon the doorknob but paused when she heard someone begin to play a beautiful melody. Her eyes widened as she heard a perfect tenor voice begin to sing.

"_Hearing is believing, music is deceiving  
__Hard as lightning, soft as candlelight  
__Dare you trust? The music of the night…"_

"Who is that?" Raoul said, peering to look at Christine. She was still standing with her hand on the door, eyes wide, mesmerised by the music.

He sighed and pushed the door open gently and Christine gasped as she saw Erik sitting at the piano, eyes wide at being caught out. He removed his hands from the piano in embarrassment as Raoul smiled at him.

"Was that you singing?" he asked curiously and Erik nodded, scratching his head nervously as he looked at Christine who just stared at him.

"Ummm...yeah" Erik said and Raoul smiled.

"You have a real talent; it sounded pretty damn good. We were wondering if we could borrow this room soon. Only for a couple minutes if it's okay" Raoul asked and Erik nodded.

"Oh, yeah I was just about to leave anyway" he said, gathering his books and pieces of music manuscript he had scribbled across.

"You sure?" Raoul checked and Erik smiled and nodded.

"Sure" he said and walked out, his face going red as he left.

Erik walked down the hallway and stopped in the locker room, placing his music with his flute case and locking the locker. He pulled out his iPod and put it on shuffle, tuning out to the music as he entered M1. He sat down at a spare computer and opened his school account, destler01, and started composing on the Sibelius music composition program provided.

* * *

Why did it have to be her who caught me?  
_Because you have the worst luck in the world you dumbshit  
_Oh shut up  
_No, why don't you just get over her instead of gaping at her like an idiot? Honestly it does nothing for your image.  
_What did you think of my lyrics? Do you think they're good enough for the music assessment approaching?  
_Well...now that you ask. I like the 'Music of the Night' idea but not sure about that second verse you wrote...  
_What was wrong with it?  
_Hearing is believing? It's a bit cliché don't you agree?  
_How so? What else could I write for it? Any ideas?  
_How about...'Turn your face away, from the something light of day, turn your thoughts away from something light, and listen to the music of the night'? I think that's pretty snazzy...  
_I like it, but how about the 'garish light of day'? And 'thoughts away from cold unfeeling light'?  
_That's good...now I remember why I bother keeping you around...  
_Shut up...

* * *

Christine sat at the piano and let her fingers play the sweet tune, closing her eyes as the introduction end and she began to sing.

"_Think of me  
__Think of me fondly  
__When we've said goodbye  
__Remember me once in a while  
__Please promise me you'll try.  
__When you find that once again you long  
__To take your heart back and be free  
__If you ever find a moment,  
__Spare a thought for me…_

_We never said  
__Our love was evergreen,  
__Or as unchanging as the sea  
__But if you still remember  
__Stop and think of me…_

_Think of all the things  
__We've shared and seen  
__Don't think about the way things  
__Might have been…_

_Think of me,  
__Think of me waking,  
__Silent and resigned  
__Imagine me,  
__Trying too hard  
__To put you from my mind_

_Recall those days  
__Look back on all those times  
__Think of the things we'll never do  
__There will never be a day when  
__I don't think  
__Of you"_

She turned to smile at Raoul and he took her hand, kissing her cheek as he sat next to her at the piano. Christine played quietly, her fingers trailing across the keys as Raoul kissed her neck, mesmerised at the beauty of her voice, her devotion to music.

"Christine..." he whispered lovingly as she began to sing the last verse, smiling hard with Raoul's arms around her.

"_Flowers fade,  
__The fruits of summer fade,  
__They have their seasons  
__So do we  
__But promise me that sometimes  
_

* * *

Reviews sie vous plais


	8. Chapter Eight

**Chapter Eight**

Meg slammed the door of her bedroom, tears pouring down her cheeks as Christine pounded on the door.

"Meg open up" her cousin shouted and Meg didn't reply, ignoring the apologetic cries as she sat down on her bed, facing the window.

"Urgh! Meg you're so stubborn!" Christine finally gave up and Meg listened to her storm away to her own room.

Looking around her room she wiped her tears away, confused at her sudden despair that afternoon. She and Christine fought regularly which always ended in one of them bringing a bowl of ice cream to the other, the vanilla becoming a symbol of surrender between them. So why had she reacted so badly that afternoon, why at the first shout over the remote control did Meg feel her eyes stinging and her throat clamming up with a repressed sob.

Her eyes fell upon the photo of her and Brendan, his arms around her as he nuzzled her cheek, blush spreading across her cheeks in embarrassment. It had been on their six month anniversary, one year ago when they were just fifteen years old. They had been on a group date, one of Meg's feeble attempts to get Christine and Brendan's best friend Adam together. They had gone to the city that night for a concert and Christine had brought her new digital camera, which she could not put away the whole night. She had snuck up on Meg and Brendan in the middle of a quiet moment and snapped the picture before Meg could say anything, determined to get her cousin back for the set up with Adam.

The photo had come out surprisingly well, the dark sky of the city becoming a fine backdrop for the photo, the stars glimmering as the streetlights shone upon the couple, lighting up Meg's blonde hair and blue eyes.

Looking upon Brendan's loving attractive face Meg felt the anger begin to boil within her. Standing up she rushed to the photo, ripping it to pieces as she sobbed.

_How dare he...I loved him..._

Throwing the crumpled pieces of the photo at her feet, Meg's hand came to her neck, the locket which Brendan had given her. It was silver and oval shaped with spindly engravings adorned across the locket. He had given it to her on their one year anniversary...

Meg tore the locket from her neck, breaking the chain and scraping her neck as she did so. But she didn't care; it had been nineteen fucking months one week ago and he gave her the best possible present; her walking in on him screwing some slut in their year after he punched out Christine.

_How could he...did I ever know him?_

She picked up an ornament he gave her for her sixteenth birthday that January; a porcelain ballerina en point. Even though he should've known she already had over seven ballerina figurines...

Meg hurled the ornament at the wall, the shards scattering across the room as she fell onto her bed, her chest heaving with shuddering sobs and passing anger.

_The bastard...how could he do this to me..._

That day, three mere days since they broke up, since he...well, that day news had travelled that Angelina and Brendan were now going out. Meg had seen them at the car park eating each other's faces, Angelina smirking at Meg when she saw her, Brendan turning to whisper something to Angelina who instantly giggled.

Feeling unwell, unable to cry anymore, Meg shivered as she changed into her pyjamas, stuck a post-it on her door saying that she wasn't coming to dinner and climbed into bed, piling the doonas on, unable to get warm.

Blinking away a new set of tears she settled down to sleep, dreading the next school day.

* * *

Christine sat on her bed, humming as she updated her logbook for drama. Listening to _'Our Little World'_ from Into the Woods on her iPod she began to sing the wistful airs of Rapunzel's.

That day had been terrible; the news of Brendan and Angelina's relationship had travelled fast and reached Meg in second period Visual Art while Christine had drama. Jammes told her at lunch that Meg had excused herself quietly to the bathrooms and not returned until third period.

The worst thing was that Meg refused to admit that she was hurt. The relationship had always seemed so trivial, that they were both so popular that it was more a relationship of convenience than love. Or more it had grown to be that way in the past year.

Christine remembered how one day at school in year nine, only three months into the relationship, how Brendan had come to her tearfully at recess, concerned that Meg hadn't answered any of his calls and that she was angry at him. Christine giggled and told him that Meg's phone had been confiscated a week ago and how he'd blushed in embarrassment.

Christine also remembered the day she had found Meg scrubbing her face in the bathroom before going out with Brendan to the movies. She was crying and makeup was spread all across the vanity as Christine calmed her down where Meg finally told her that she couldn't get her makeup and hair right, sobbing that why would Brendan like her, that he really didn't love her back.

This innocent puppy love had drifted away from them, out of their grasp in the past year. Christine could not pinpoint exactly where Brendan had changed, when Meg grew up but suddenly they were all grown up and the love had been lost along the way.

But it wasn't just that; as they grew up parties involved less movies, sleepovers and truth or dare and more drinking, sex and drugs. Brendan turned from a sweet guy who bought his girlfriend flowers because he could to a man whose confidence had turned to arrogance, whose sweetness had turned to flirtation which turned to womanising. Everything that had been good in him had morphed into the bad, like an egg going rotten. Christine knew he was still a good guy beneath but it was going to be a while until he emerged for a second chance.

In the process he had lost Meg.

Suddenly Christine wondered if it was Meg who changed as well; was she any different? She surely was no longer innocent or naive. But Meg had always been intelligent and in the past year had dumbed down to please the guys, turning from smart to a ditz, keeping her high marks to herself.

But was she...different?

Sighing Christine felt too tired to think about this and grabbed her phone which began to ring.

"Hello?" she asked and Raoul's voice faintly came across the line.

"Hey Christine" he said and she bit her lip, blushing at his voice.

"Hey..."

"What's up?" Raoul asked, hearing the confusion in her voice and Christine sighed wearily.

"Oh nothing...just worried about Meg" Christine said, staring at her pen as she began to spin it between her fingers.

"Yeah...is she coping?" He asked and she shrugged, suddenly remembering he couldn't see her she quickly replied, yawning tiredly.

"I guess...I really don't know-she went to bed as soon as we got home today, quite unlike her. We got into a screaming fight over the last doughnut and then over the remote control and she burst into tears and has been locked in her room ever since, she didn't even come to dinner," Christine said worriedly and Raoul sighed.

"Well, I hope she starts to find her feet again, poor thing, god I never trusted that Brendan" Raoul said and Christine agreed.

"Same here, well I did once but...that was a long time ago" she sighed and Raoul yawned.

"Oh well...I'm going to bed now, I'm so tired lately. I guess I'll see you at school then?" Raoul asked and Christine smiled.

"Yep, I love you"

"Love you too" then came the dial tone.

As Christine flipped her phone closed and placed it on her bedside table she began to slide down into her bed. Suddenly a thought occurred to her and she frowned.

_Why did Raoul just call to check up on Meg?_

But shaking her head at her silliness Christine turned off her light, sure she was being ridiculous.

* * *

Choir rehearsal the next morning was tedious. They were singing the choral arrangement for a medley of songs from _'Moulin Rouge'_ but there was a slight problem concerning the soloists. The choral arrangement had two soloists, Satine, a soprano and Christian, a tenor. Christine sang Satine's role but when the soloist tenor Peter Argarretta left the school the piece had fallen apart.

Christine opened her mouth to sing her solo and instead yawned, exhausted as their instructor Mr Fowsen looked at her in irritation.

"Come on Christine, please be awake when you come to choir" he barked her and she grumbled, beginning her solo.

After the first run through was finished everyone sat down, chatting and laughing as Carlotta glared at Christine and Mr Fowsen discussed something in irritation to her music teacher Mr Hawkinson who nodded as they turned to the choir.

"We still can't perform this piece without a tenor soloist and since Peter left for Italy we haven't found another one. So this is going on hiatus, please pull out your parts for Vivaldi's _'Gloria'_" Mr Fowsen announced and a general noise of agreed exasperation came from the choir; they had sung Gloria twice at school occasions in the past year and were sick of it.

And Christine was especially put out; Gloria had no solos and she was a mere choir member again. _Moulin Rouge_ had been her first ever solo in the choir and now it was taken away from her; another chance of gaining unique repertoire disappeared out the window.

'_Gloria, Gloria,  
__Gloria, Gloria,  
__In-excel-cis-dae-o'_

There was no need to practice anyway; they had perfected it in the past term and knew it off by heart, Latin and English.

Suddenly an idea came to Christine that she became fully awake, an idea that was so perfect it would never work; Erik was a tenor, and a fantastic one at that.

"Mr Hawkinson!" she exclaimed and jumped up, running to him as he took her to the side.

"What is it?" he asked and she grinned.

"I think I have an idea"

* * *


	9. Chapter Nine

_Sorry for the wait, I've got so many phics they end up taking turns. _

_If I havent said it before, yes the title of this "Since I've Been Loving You" is a Led Zeppelin song from their third album. I am an utter Led Zeppelin fanatic when I'm not being a whacked up Phan. So in titling a Phic with a Led Zeppelin song I have combined to two things i love more than anything else in the world. I'm clever aren't I?_

_Just read the damn phic_

**

* * *

**

**Chapter Nine**

"No" Erik said bluntly and Christine's face fell.

"Why ever not?" she asked and he turned from her, fiddling with his shirt buttons.

"Because the last thing I need is to draw more attention to myself" he said finally and she sighed in exasperation.

"You have a good voice Erik; think about it. If you sing in front of the school all the girls will be dying to have you" she exclaimed and Erik looked at her sceptically.

"Cause you know, girls love scars...oh and deformities too" he said sarcastically, a grimace entering his face "forget it Christine, I don't want our help"

"Wait!" she cried, flinging her hand upon his shoulder and he turned to look at her, a cynical look upon his face "Have you ever heard of Michael Crawford?"

Erik nodded "Yeah he was in a pile of musicals in the eighties; why?"

"Well he's sixty now and still sings beautifully. Sixty, married, wrinkly and yet sixteen year old girls would die for him" she said and he raised the one visible eyebrow.

"Sorry Christine but no"

* * *

_Why didn't you just say yes?_

Oh shut up

_No, think about it. She might've been right_

Yes and she might've caught leprosy

_Oh please, get over your ridiculous damaged ego and maybe listen to someone other than your own strange conscious_

You just insulted yourself...you are my conscious

_No, I'm thing only thing that keeps this thing going. Without me you'd collapse in a bundle of tears._

Whatever, I didn't want to anyway; I prefer playing to singing.

_Now we both know that's a lie_

Fine, maybe I do like singing, but not that sort of thing.

_Fine, just ignore the fact that your heart leapt at singing a duet with her, ignore the fact you wanted it so badly you refused_

Nothing ever goes right for me; why should that change now?

* * *

"I'm so annoyed, I keep asking Mr Fowsen for a chance at a solo, I've been harassing him for a year now over it. I finally get one and we lose our only the decent tenor, the only fallback refusing to sing" Christine grumbled and Raoul squeezed her hand. 

"Why don't you ask him again? He probably didn't realise what a big deal it is; from the sound of it you must've surprised him, he might've even taken the wrong way-thinking you were mocking him or something" Raoul offered and Christine bit her lip.

"Maybe, I don't think I explained it too well. I might ask him again" she mused and Raoul nodded, hugging her to him.

"See, it'll work out; he'll come through." He reassured her and she smiled.

"I hope so" she sighed and Raoul shrugged.

"And if not can't you just get Mr Fowsen to get a solo piece for you, not a duet" he asked and she rolled her eyes.

"I've tried that-he's pretty opposed to solos so getting a mere duet was hard. But I'll see what I can do"

* * *

"Erik, are you sure you don't want to sing the duet?" Christine asked after arriving to last period music early. Sitting at the table Erik looked up at this repeated request, surprised to see her early, normally so disorganised. 

"Christine, I just don't feel comfortable. May come as a shock to you but I'm not too fond of the spotlight" Erik said nastily and Christine's mood changed completely. Her face becoming stormy she folded her arms and sat down in the seat right next to Erik, mere inches away from him.

"Well you know what I think Erik?" she snarled "I think you want it, you want to have a chance to prove yourself, to have the limelight and for people to like you, you crave it, badly, secretly" slowly the colour fell from Erik's face "But you're afraid; you're afraid of further rejection, of failure. But even more; you're afraid of being good, of people liking you, it's something so little experienced by you, you end up craving and fearing it at the same time. That's why you sit by yourself in all your classes, that's why you turn up to parties and hang in the corners, not talking or socialising, that's why you hang up here in the music building where no one bothers you. That's why you refuse to sing"

Erik opened his mouth but no words came out, Mr Hawkinson walked in, doing a double take seeing the two of them so close together, tension filling up the room.

"Sorry guys if I'm interrupting anything but we have a lesson" he said and the two instantly shot apart, immediately babbling about nothing suss was going, nothing was happening to be interrupted. My Hawkinson smiled.

"Of course guys; now copy down these notes on the impressionists" barked Mr Hawkinson as others began to enter the room. Erik glared at Christine who glared back as they began to copy down the notes off the white board.

* * *

"Mr Fowsen I talked to Erik about the duet" Christine said irritably and Mr Fowsen turned to her. 

"Oh? And?" he asked and she rolled her eyes.

"He refused, twice. I've actually arranged a version of Queen's _'Somebody to Love'_ for soprano and choir, maybe we could make it a solo-" Christine asked and Mr Fowsen cut her off.

"Christine, I've already decided on a new song for the choir since he is unable to perform; Hallelujah from Handel's _Messiah_ oratorio. It has one soprano solo which you may have" he said, as if it was a reward and Christine frowned.

"But that's only several bars! Mr Fowsen I desperately need to gain experience, my HSC is next year and-" but he cut her off once more.

"Miss Daaé I think you'll find I'm being quite lenient" he said sharply and disappeared back into the music staffroom, closing the door on her face.

"Argh!" Christine stomped her feet in frustration, aware of the fact that she looked like a child having a tantrum to others in the corridor, storming off in anger.

As Christine left the music building she bumped unluckily into Erik.

"Oh" she said irritably "It's you. I now have no solo thanks Erik" she fumed and he raised one eyebrow.

"So because I wasn't able to help you blame me. And all that talk about how I do want to, trying to get to me. I thought you were trying to help me, but it was just a trick to help yourself get in for a solo. Guess what Christine; not everyone falls for your innocent girl act and not everyone likes you. Deal with your own shit" he said angrily, annoyed that he thought he once liked her.

"Oh fuck you Erik. I tried being nice when no one else would. And to let you know; I was being sincere. I can be a lying bitch but that wasn't. Don't be so quick to condemn people trying to help" she spat and he laughed.

"Help? You're only looking out for number one, no matter what you do. Everything you do must benefit you; helping me at the party? Made you look like a saint. You can't see past your own reflection and you don't even know it" he laughed and she raised one eyebrow.

"At least I have the guts to look at my own reflection! Part of you're lack of friends isn't your face; you make yourself a freak by wearing that fucking mask then blame your face for any rejection you face! Fuck Erik. Go to hell for all I care" she yelled and shoved past him, determined to get out of his presence.

But Erik would not have it, grabbing her by the shoulders and holding her with such force she couldn't move.

"You think it's easy like this?" he hissed into her ear bitterly "Being born the way I was? My own mother turned to heroin because of me. All her friends would constantly tell me she was anti drug and mentally stable until I was born. Now she's a mess having been in rehab twice with no avail. Because of me. Why am I here in Sydney? Social worker got wind of what was happening and sent me to live with my aunt, whom I hardly see. You think I bring it all on myself?" she began to shake, twisting from his grip, which tightened immensely.

"You're hurting me" she moaned but he pulled her to him.

"My father is dead, my mother a mess; because of me. And you think I brought it on myself? That somehow my subconscious is twisted enough to make people hate me? Fuck off Christine; you have no fucking idea"

Releasing her he stormed off, leaving the girl shaken and furious.

* * *

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